HOUSTON — For 45 minutes Saturday, Huntsville’s defense dominated Beaumont Central in a Class 4A Division I area-round playoff game at Thorne Stadium.

Central never quit, though. The Jaguars found a chink in the Huntsville armor, rallying for two touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game and beating the Hornets 28-24. 

“The ball didn’t bounce the Hornets’ way tonight,” Huntsville coach Mitchell Coey said. “The kids played hard for four quarters. We just squandered too many opportunities. We should have put more points on the board.”

The ball certainly did not bounce Huntsville’s way in the final three minutes. 

After the Jaguars struck on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Donte Wilkerson to wideout Brennan Jackson with 1:46 left in the game, Central got the ball back on what Coey called a “perfect” onside kick.

Juan Cardenas bounced an end-over-end kick over Shaquille Ross’ shoulder and into the hands of a streaking Keenan Holman for Central. The Jaguars (9-3) then picked their way down to the Huntsville 20, but they faced a fourth-and-7 with time running short.

After each team called a timeout, Central pulled a rabbit out of the hat, faking a potential game-tying field goal and putting the ball in Jackson’s hands. 

The holder on the field goal, Jackson caught the snap and took off around the right side of the Hornets defense. Three players had a chance to catch him, but Jackson was too quick. He outran the Hornets to the post and Central led for the first time in the game.

“That was like watching your future run away from you,” Huntsville defensive lineman Forbes Baggett said. 

Coey told the Hornets to watch for a fake. 

“(Justin) Gilbert was the only one we were sending. We wanted him to make the kicker nervous,” the coach explained. “We were supposed to have some guys staying out on the edge. 

“We called a timeout and told them to be careful for the fake. Then when they faked it, we got caught standing flat-footed.” 

After Jackson scored the go-ahead touchdown, the Hornets got a nice return to midfield from Gilbert, but with no timeouts, Huntsville could not answer the Jaguars’ last score. Gilbert’s desperation pass with no time on the clock was picked off by Byron Samuels and nearly returned for a touchdown.

With the Jaguars celebrating wildly on their sideline, there were Hornets all over the field, many in tears.

“In big games like this, you’ve got to make plays,” said Baggett, who was all over the field, especially in the first half. “We just didn’t make the plays late in the fourth quarter.”

After senior Martin Juarez gave the Hornets a 24-14 lead with 3:12 remaining, the Jaguars put together a quick five-play, 44-yard drive. Central, which managed just 64 yards total offense in the first half, found the Hornets’ weakness by letting Wilkerson throw to his speedy receivers Jackson and Holman.

Wilkerson completed 8-of-14 passes for 162 yards in the second half. 

“Our defense was outstanding right to the end, but they found a weakness and they exploited it,” Coey said. “Our corners, they ran deep routes on them and it worked.”

Huntsville led 21-7 early in the second half. Junior utility man Mark Wheeler punched over from 1 yard out following a Quentin Smith fumble recovery and a powerful 19-yard run by senior Shaquille Ross. 

Ross finished the game with 104 yards on the ground. Gilbert rushed for 75 on 18 carries and he threw for 74 more.

Central, which finished with only 36 yards rushing on 34 carries, advances to play Friendswood in the Region III quarterfinals later this week.

The Hornets caught a huge break before halftime. Wilkerson fumbled a snap and Huntsville defensive end Kervin Simmons rushed in and pounced on the loose football with 11 seconds left in the second period.

Wheeler heaved a deep pass toward the end zone. Gilbert raced downfield, came back and caught the ball at the Jaguars’ 2-yard line. Gilbert turned and pushed his way into the end zone to put the Hornets on top by seven at the break.

Huntsville’s defense was on fire in the first half. The Jaguars tried like crazy to find a crease in the Hornets’ defensive line, but Baggett, Marquel Kizzee, Simmons and Bridge Blount did not budge.

Senior tailback Keith O’Neal, a near-1,000-yard rusher in 2009, picked up only 17 yards on nine carries in the opening two quarters. O’Neal finished with 18 yards on 14 tries.

Huntsville got on the board first when Gilbert scooted to his right 23 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second period. The game’s first score was set up when Gilbert and Wheeler connected on a 32-yard pass. This time it was Gilbert throwing to Wheeler, who made a super one-handed catch while crossing the field.

After Wheeler ran deep into Jaguar territory, he was hit hard by one of the Central defenders. The ball popped out, but Huntsville senior Joe Maxey was there to get on it.

Two plays later, Gilbert broke loose for a score.

Central tied the score a few minutes later when Wilkerson lobbed a pass to Keenon Holman from 7 yards out. 

Huntsville had stopped the Jaguars four straight plays from inside the 7-yard line, but Wheeler lost a fumble trying to get the Hornets out of a bind. 

The Hornets were visibly crushed by the heartbreaking loss, but Coey reminded them that they took another step this season. Huntsville won its first playoff game since 1991, blasting the Hays Rebels 45-14 in a bi-district contest.

“It was another great season,” Coey said. “These guys won another district championship and they tasted a playoff victory. We almost got another one, but it wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”